“People always say, ‘Find your passion,’ or ‘Find your one thing.’ I’m finally at a point in my life where I’ve realized that my one thing is curiosity.” – Denise Hearn

In this episode of the Women Killing It! podcast, host Sally Hubbard introduces us to Denise Hearn, head of business development for leading macroeconomic research firm, Variant Perception. In addition to discussing her career path, competing against herself, and the importance of living more joyfully, she talks about a topic she literally wrote the book on… The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition.

Denise started her career in the nonprofit education sector, educating kids on sexual decision making. Through a series of shifts into the finance world, and after heading back to school at Oxford for an MBA, she now works at Variant Perception and is a passionate advocate for bringing more diversity to the male-dominated investment industry.

Denise wrote The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition because she wanted to understand the systemic drivers of inequality and why things have ended up as they have. She realized we no longer live in a true capitalist economy and discovered that massive industry concentration is hurting consumers.

She and Sally discuss why competition is good for the economy as a whole and how monopolies maintain the balance of mainly white men in power, creating fewer opportunities for women and people of color to succeed.

They also talk about killing it with ease, and how to create more joy in your life as you work. Over the years, Denise has realized that she doesn’t need to compete against anyone except herself and has started to divorce from the belief that her worth is in what she produces.

“That’s where the true challenge of life lies and that’s sort of where I want to spend my energy— seeing my life as an experiment by which I’m constantly trying to figure out how I can live a more joyous and fruitful life in whatever form that takes.”

In every episode of her Women Killing It! podcast, lawyer turned investigative journalist Sally Hubbard speaks candidly with career rockstars who share what has worked for them, how they got to where they are today, and what they wish they knew sooner. Through the honest and uninhibited conversations she has with each of these women you should (and might already) know, Sally captures the WYSKy spirit of women celebrating and inspiring one another.